When you think of essential services, healthcare workers, government employees, storefront people, and a couple others probably come to mind. I have heard a lot of argument about whether churches are essential. Other buildings too. I suppose the idea itself is subjective according to each person’s needs and the majority is chosen to be the deciding factor.
I am surprised camp has not been a more evident theme here on the blog. Camp was/is/has been a huge part of my life. Spending seven years working at a Christian summer camp, volunteering and paid, shaped me into the person I am today. My faith is stronger for it. My identity is solidified by it. I learned conflict resolution, how to work with people I did not like, how to be compassionate and that’s just a couple of the lessons.
Now while essential services are a debated topic, I do truly and firmly believe summer camp is an essential service.
(I’m not writing this as a call to arms although perhaps it is. Camps are going to be hurting, just like any other ‘business’ with Covid-19, and I do urge those who typically take some joy in camping to remember them during this time of reopening. There are many camps I know of that are non-profit organizations. Charities for lack of a better word. It may be a hard and tight time budget wise, but if you’re looking to tithe or give offerings, please think of camps in your area to donate to.)
That being said, camps. Why are they important? Why are they essential?
It provides a home away from home from those who desperately need it. Among other things, it gives kids who are in unsafe homes a place to escape the danger and abuse they are surrounded by. While not going into any details, I will say I have had multiple people in my experience and years of camp who came to me to disclose abuse they suffered. Children who had yet to reach the age of ‘teenagehood’ who struggled with eating disorders and suicide.
Seven years and I remember every name, every face, and I still pray for them. I still love them from afar and hope to God that they are safe and finally being loved and treated as they should.
Above providing a safe environment or relief, camp teaches kids. It molds them and shapes them. In one week of camp, they are taught more than ever how to be independent. While I can speak only on my experience, I know how other camps work as well. Kids wipe tables, they take on physical activity.
There is nothing more rewarding than seeing the quiet, scared kid, go down a sixty-foot zip-line and laugh about it afterwards. Kids need a place to go, apart from their parents, to discover more about themselves. They make incredible friendships that can last the test of time.
Most importantly, they learn about Jesus. Kids get the chance to learn about Jesus in an environment where they can ask questions and approach their cabin leaders. It creates friendships and brother/sister relationships. I have one camper who I had when they were eight and by the time I left they were fifteen. A child into a teenager. Developed from kids who are so often a living embodiment of their parents, to a teenager with their own mind and opinion.
It is funny how small a difference camp can make but even how gigantic it is to those experiencing it. I had a camper who came to camp absolutely hating vegetables. In my cabin, I always require a certain level of fruit or vegetable be eaten at a meal. For breakfast, five pieces of fruit. For lunch, at least three vegetables. Supper has to have a portion of veggies or salad. Well, the camper’s Mom warned me she would not eat a lot. Especially vegetables. She told me if I could get her a candy or something sweet, it would be far more likely that the child would eat.
Well that didn’t fly with me. At the very least, I wanted my kids to try. Obviously I am not going to force them to eat anything and I know how to choose my hills to die on, but I ensured they were eating. This one kid and I butted heads a couple times because their definition of a meal was a literal piece of rice. One grain of rice.
So, I made it my mission, to get them to eat food. All week, I would sit with them until they ate at least half of their food. If not more. I expected some kickback and possibly a complaint to the Mom. After all, it was a battle of wills and while I would give up lots of the time, I did worry at some point I was retracting from their camp experience. I just really did not want this tiny child to pass out during a hot day from lack of nutrition.
To my surprise and delight, the camper reported gladly to the Mother that they loved cucumbers suddenly! When I tell you the Mom looked shocked, I mean the blood drained out of her face and her jaw literally dropped. She was speechless. She then thanked me profusely and squealed in delight with her child who now had a vegetable they actually enjoyed.
It’s little things like that and big things like telling a child who doesn’t believe in themselves, that they can do it, and watching them do it, that make me believe it is an essential service. Especially in a time like this where these kids have been forced into uncertainty. They need time to be kids, to get out of the house, to see life continues to go on and they can still have good experiences.
There is a lot of fear and while there may be fear in camp, such as towards a horse or a climbing wall, the fear of this disease and the uncertainty of life should not be the fear they have to face although that too can be conquered.
I just felt it was important to share my two cents on this, considering the upcoming summer and how important programs are to children, families, and me.
God, thank you for camps. Thank you for what we can learn about you from it and the relationships we can build. Lord, I pray in this time of uncertainty and confusion, You would be sovereign. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Protect your children from unsafe homes. Bring them into your safe arms. Please God.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Until next week.
God bless!
~ Ashley
P.S. The photo above is from my camp ❤ Isn’t it a beautiful picture? Double rainbow. Perfectly encapsulating the range. Love it.
A Light in The Darkness 